Advances in media processing and presentation equipment (“media equipment”) have greatly expanded the versatility of such media equipment. For example, conventional television has evolved into functionality that can also potentially be used to display and interact with electronic program guide (EPG) data, browse and select video-on-demand (VOD) assets (e.g., movies), record and play back media programs, play games, interact with a wide area network (such as the Internet), shop and perform other commerce-related tasks, communicate with other users, and so forth.
However, expanding the versatility of media equipment also introduces new challenges. For instance, the increased versatility may equate to an increase in complexity of the media equipment. Such an increase in complexity may make it more difficult for the users to learn how to use the media equipment. From the standpoint of the user, this may cause frustration, as users typically engage in media equipment to fill their leisure time, not to develop quasi-computer-related skills. From the standpoint of the provider of the media equipment, the added complexity of the media equipment may result in users failing to fully engage the media equipment, which may equate to loss of revenue for the provider.
One aspect of media equipment that has become increasingly complex over the years is the remote control (RC) device. The RC device is used by a user to interact with applications that run on the media equipment. More specifically, the RC device is conventionally used to change channels, adjust the volume, control the recording and playback of media programs, navigate among miscellaneous user interface options, and so forth. However, as the media equipment has become more versatile by adopting additional features, RC devices have become more complex in lockstep. It is not uncommon for a user to rely on a very complex RC device having many dozens of input buttons. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for a user to rely on multiple RC devices, with different RC devices controlling different media processing devices. As a result of this complexity, even experienced users must sometimes spend a few moments hunting for an RC button which will invoke a desired function in the context of a particular media equipment application. This problem is, of course, exacerbated in the case of novice users, who may ultimately have to ask a more experienced user to point out the location of the sought-after button. It may also become difficult for any user to fully master the interface between the RC device and the media equipment, because different applications of the media equipment may redefine (e.g., remap) the functionality assigned to the buttons on the RC device, requiring the user to relearn the purpose served by the buttons in the context of new applications.
As appreciated by the present inventors, there is therefore an exemplary need in the art to provide functionality for assisting a user in using an RC device, and thereby assisting the user in interacting with an application provided by the media equipment.